Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – A memorial and requiem ceremony was held for victims of the COVID-19 pandemic at No. 1 Ly Thai To Park in Ho Chi Minh City on February 22.
Nguyen Phuoc Loc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and President of the municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, paid tribute to those who died of COVID-19 and reflected on the trying times the city faced during the pandemic.
He said that throughout that period, under the leadership of the municipal Party Committee and administration and with the participation of the entire political system, the VFF Committee promoted the spirit of national solidarity to engage member organisations and people from all strata in the fight against the pandemic across all fields.
However, in the face of the unprecedented severity and complexity of the pandemic, a number of officials, soldiers, and citizens lost their lives due to the disease, he noted.
Loc said the memorial and requiem ceremony for COVID-19 victims was more than a traditional ritual dedicated to the deceased at the start of a lunar new year. It served as an occasion for the community to honour and uphold the great national solidarity, enhance collective efforts across all sectors and social aspects, and strengthen unity to develop a civilised, modern, and compassionate Ho Chi Minh City, ultimately contributing to a strong and prosperous Vietnam.
At Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda earlier the same day, the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha chapter in Ho Chi Minh City, joined by thousands of monks, nuns, and followers, solemnly inaugurated the Medicine Buddha sutra chanting festival.
The grand ceremony, chaired by Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, aimed to pray for national peace and prosperity, favourable weather, and the complete eradication of diseases./.
